Citation faithfulness
Citation faithfulness is whether a page an AI answer cites really says what the answer claims it says.
Citation faithfulness is whether the page an AI answer cites actually supports what the answer says. A faithful citation links to a page that says the same thing. An unfaithful one links to a page that says something different, or doesn't mention the point at all.
It matters because a link makes a claim look checked. Most readers won't open the page to see. If the answer gets your page wrong, you can be cited and misrepresented in the same sentence, and your own link makes the mistake look more believable.
What it looks like
For example, an answer says: "Fernhill Coffee's subscription can't be paused, according to Fernhill's own FAQ." The FAQ is linked. Open it, and it explains how to pause a subscription in two clicks.
Fernhill is cited. Its page is right. The answer is still wrong, and it points to Fernhill as the source.
Unfaithful citations come about in a few ways. The platform mixes up two sources and credits the wrong one. It summarizes a long page and drops a small word like not or only, which flips the meaning. It reads an old copy of the page. Or it links a page that's on the right subject and writes the answer from somewhere else.
How to spot it
Read the answers that cite your pages, and check the claims next to each link against the page. Pay most attention to facts that drive a decision: prices, what's included, where you deliver, how to cancel.
When you find one, look at the page. A fact buried in a long paragraph, or stated in a confusing way, is easier to misread. State it plainly, near the top of its section.
In AnswerOrbit
Claims checks what each answer says about you against your facts. Open a claim to see the sentence it came from and the pages the answers used, so you can tell when a wrong claim sits next to a link to your own correct page.